A Trial for Whitefeather
Light shimmered from the pool, causing a haze of blue-tinted light to flicker back upon the faces of the cats sitting around it. One was perched upon a boulder that rose into the air. The others were scattered below. An eighth slid out of the shadows, the ghostly form of a ninth trailing behind him. "I have brought her," Frozenstar meowed, dipping his head to the cat on the rock. Around the pool, cats flattened ears against their skulls and gave threatening hisses in the direction of Frozenstar and the ghostly she-cat. She flinched back. "Hush," commanded the cat on the rock. She was a delicate female, with gray fur so pale it was almost white. Her bright green eyes had given her her name-Moss. "We are gathered here tonight to decide on the fate of Whitefeather." Frozenstar scanned the cats around the pool. There was Snowlight, his mother and Whitefeather's too, Foxstar, the leader of MossClan before Frozenstar, Jayheart from StormClan, Wolfwing of MossClan, Stripefur from CloudClan, and Featherpelt of BrambleClan. Frozenstar's fur prickled with astonishment as he made out the form of his father Tigerbite, summoned from the depths of the Place of No Stars. A dark reddish light flickered around the edges of his fur. "Whitefeather," Moss flicked her tail. "Come forward." The ghostly she-cat had scars on one side of her face, completely covering her eye and rendering her blind on her right side. Parts of her pelt were matted, and tufts of her fur here and there were singed off by fire. The light from the pool played shadows across her face that made her look thin and frightened. Whitefeather slid towards the rock and leaped up beside Moss. "Foxstar," Moss nodded at the ginger tom, "relate the charges." Foxstar padded forward, staring at Whitefeather with pure loathing in his slitless green eyes. "During her youth, from kit to apprentice and on, Whitefeather was known throughout all the Clans as a respectful and hard working warrior." "This is true," Jayheart agreed with a firm nod. "However," Foxstar turned pointedly to glare at the scarred she-cat here, "after my former deputy Pebblefoot died in battle, I received a sign from StarClan to make Frozenheart my deputy." He nodded in Frozenstar's direction now. "Whitefeather challenged my decision and attacked him." Moss sighed. "Does the defendant have anything to say for herself?" Whitefeather gazed down at the upturned faces around the pool. "I do. My brother Frozenheart was known for supporting the cruel Halfstar during the time before Foxstar became leader. Also, he had spent the past moon in the medicine den recovering from swallowing Lionstep's entire ''supply of poppy seeds, might I add." Frozenstar winced slightly at the memory of his addiction. "She has a point," Tigerbite meowed. "Hush, Tigerbite." Moss looked back at Whitefeather. "Is there anything else?" The she-cat bit her lip and shook her head. Her pale wisp of self flickered in and out of view slightly. "Foxstar, continue with the charges." "I exiled her from MossClan for disobeying the Clan leader and attacking a Clanmate. After several moons of wandering, she was taken in mercifully by CloudClan." "You forgot the part about the badger," piped up Whitefeather. "The badger isn't important," retorted Foxstar. "It was ''too ''important!" Whitefeather gave an angry shake of her head. "It gave me these scars! Tell me that you didn't forget my scars!" "Hush!" Moss lashed her tail, making Foxstar shut his jaws with a snap and Whitefeather glance away shamefully. "Whitefeather, if you feel the need to speak up, you must ask first." The she-cat nodded in reply. "Right. Foxstar, please continue." "CloudClan took Whitefeather in out of the mercy of their hearts. They gave her medical treatment, fresh-kill, and shelter. They respected her and treated her honorably. But Whitefeather summoned rogues and led them to attack all the Clan camps on the night of the full moon-a Gathering when most of the warriors were gone." "Objection!" Whitefeather leaped to her paws, tail bristling. "It wasn't ''my fault that cats from the Dark Forest caused all the Clans at the Gathering to fight to the death!" "I never said it was," snapped Foxstar in reply. "But you and your rogues did go around to every camp and kill the cats remaining. Elders, queens, kits, apprentices, warriors...you killed everyone!" "Moss," Whitefeather spun around to face the great she-cat. "I would like it to be known that I never killed any cat with my own claws. Yes, I did push Featherpelt into the river, but I didn't hold her down! For StarClan's sake! It wasn't my fault she couldn't swim!" "I was blind," Featherpelt replied coldly. "You confused me." "And my nephew Wolfwing. So yes, I did flick a poisonous snake at him, but it bit him on its own!" "And Jayheart?" Wolfwing growled. Whitefeather shook her head. "Okay, so I dropped him off the side of a Twoleg building, I know. But whatever happened to the old saying 'cats always land on their feet'?" "I've never climbed before," insisted the StormClan medicine cat. Frozenstar could almost see Jayheart's ears burning. "It wasn't instinctive to flip over. I broke my neck." "Muddytail. You killed her." "Did not. Janus delivered the fatal blow." "You gave the order." Whitefeather faltered. "This is true, but still. I again point out that I never killed another cat directly. If anyone should be blamed, it should be Raincloud. Such a cruel death he gave me...fire...burning into my blood..." the she-cat shivered. "Is there anything else you have to say, Foxstar?" Moss asked, turning to the ginger tom. "Not particularly." "Then sit down and keep your jaws shut." Foxstar sat down. "Snowlight, you were mother to Whitefeather. Do you have anything to add?" Snowlight gazed at her daughter with pale green eyes. "I only wish to say that I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you, Whitefeather. Is this what I raised you into?" "I was only trying to be loyal, mother!" Whitefeather's one blue eye glittered with anger. "I would have been a better deputy than my brother! He supported Halfstar, and Foxstar wanted to give him such a great position in the Clan! I worked my paws off hunting and caring for my Clanmates after the damage Halfstar had done to us! I was only trying to do the right thing! Why doesn't anyone see?" "Does anyone here wish to say anything else?" "I do." Stripefur stepped forward. He raised his head to look into Whitefeather's face. She flinched back as he did. "Whitefeather, I hated you. You destroyed our Clans and tore everything we had away from us. You were responsible for so much pain. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that." "Agreed," Foxstar snarled. Stripefur raised his tail for silence. "But I want to say this: Rowanfeather was partially rogue, and that knowledge changed her loyalty against the CloudClan she was raised in. She killed my mother when I was just a kit. I know how painful that is. I almost went insane from loss when I learned as a young warrior exactly what had happened, for I had been shunned by the cat that I loved as well just then, and I never had anyone to comfort me. It hurts like nothing else quite does. Snowlight, you died when you were attacked by the warrior Flamefoot. Isn't that right?" "It is." The she-cat twitched an ear. Stripefur nodded and turned back to face Moss and Whitefeather on the rock. "It hurt, didn't it Whitefeather? You lost her when you were just a young warrior. You had her longer than I had, but unlike me, you never really had a father." Tigerbite bristled. He opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp glare from Moss made him slowly close it again. Stripefur glanced at the warrior, then continued on. "Is it really fair to send Whitefeather to live forever with her mother's killer? With Flamefoot, Rowanfeather, Tigerbite, and all the other cats she hates? Snowlight and Frozenstar live here in StarClan. Can we really take from her the companionship she had with them? And all the other cats? They may be dead because of her, but they will forgive her eventually." Silence. The soft chirping of a cricket filled the air. Then Featherpelt rose to her paws. "I think so too. We are StarClan. We are supposed to be justified and fair, which means we need to look at the situation from all sides. Including Whitefeather's. From her point of view, she was thrown out of the Clan she loved and worked hard to protect. She lost so much over the course of her life-her Clan's faith, her family, her eye, her mate, her kits...everything. Can we really send her to dwell in the Place of No Stars?" "Well said, Featherpelt," meowed Wolfwing, rising. "But I do feel the need to point out all the things Whitefeather has done in the past. So many deaths were her fault, and we all suffered so much pain. I simply suggest that we find a place for her, a nice clearing of her own perhaps, where she can rest undisturbed somewhere far out in StarClan territory. Our forest is never ending. There must be somewhere she can rest in peace." He sat down again. "It seems we have reached a conclusion." Moss swung around to face Whitefeather, who cringed slightly in response. "Whitefeather, we will find you a place in StarClan territory where you can wander. You must not hold grudges against any of the other cats there, and they will not hold grudges against you." The she-cat dipped her head. "I understand." Moss looked over the cats gathered around the pool. Foxstar snorted and turned away, but the others were nodding agreement. "Then it is settled. Whitefeather, we can remove your scars now." To everyone's surprise, Whitefeather hesitated, then shook her head no. "My scars are now part of who I am. I've had them so long-longer than I was without them. I don't even know what I would do with another eye anymore. Even my ear, maybe. I can hear just fine out of my left. I have to refuse your offer, Moss." The great she-cat gave a slow nod of understanding. 'The council is adjourned." The cats began to separate, casting last glances over their shoulders as they vanished into the shadows. Snowlight padded towards Tigerbite, who stood waiting, watching her with cool blue eyes. "It's been awhile," she meowed. "It has. And how is StarClan?" "It's one cat short of being...right." Tigerbite angled his gaze away from hers and scuffed at the ground with his one white paw. "If only things could have been different," Snowlight tried again. Her eyes seemed to flash. "Snowlight, you know why I left." "You let them shun you. You could have another chance. You could come back." Tigerbite gave an angry shake of his head. "Another chance? I will never come back to StarClan after what they did to me. Frostflower...Blackstorm...Darkpaw...Frostkit...all of them." "I thought you were a strong warrior." Snowlight hissed in reply. "Do you hate your own family more than you love your own mate?" Tigerbite's eyes flashed a dangerous shade of blue. "You wouldn't understand, Snowlight. Your parents didn't disown you like mine did. You had a littermate that loved you. You don't really know how I felt and what I went through. I chose to live my afterlife in the Place of No Stars. StarClan knows where I am, and if they wish to speak to me, they know where I can be found." "If this is how you act, then we are no longer mates!" "We were no longer mates seasons ago, back when we were still alive!" Tigerbite flattened his ears defensively. "You didn't even speak up for Whitefeather. You don't love your own daughter any more than you love your own son and your mate, which is to say nothing." "Whitefeather deserves more than I can offer her. She deserves to live with her mother in StarClan, not in the gray forest where I dwell." Snowlight stared back at Tigerbite. Her eyes seemed to soften slightly. "I only want you to know that StarClan would give you a hearing of your own if you asked them to. We could find you your own place in StarClan to rest." Tigerbite bowed his head in acknowledgment. "I understand, but my decision has been made. I belong in the Place of No Stars, where I can slink among the shadows on my own, unbothered." Snowlight brushed past her mate, glancing over her shoulder as she moved off to follow Whitefeather, who stood alone, a ghostly outline against the lush foliage and trees. "May you walk a safe path, Tigerbite." "Likewise, Snowlight. And Whitefeather?" The she-cat flinched slightly at the sound of her father calling her name. Her mother had already disappeared into the shadows, and the two of them were alone. His meow brought back unpleasant memories of kithood, but Tigerbite only gazed at her thoughtfully from where he stood. "Good luck. You were a strong warrior in life, and I was proud to call you my daughter. May you be a strong warrior as you hunt in StarClan as well." Surprise glittered in her one eye, but she bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, Tigerbite." His praise and respect almost meant more to her than being allowed into StarClan's hunting grounds. It was what she had worked all her life to achieve. And yet... "I'll visit you sometimes! On the border of StarClan and Dark Forest territory. You would like that, wouldn't you? And I'll bring Frozenstar and Snowlight and Frostkit!" Tigerbite gave a long, slow blink. "Live well in StarClan, Whitefeather. And if any of those cats hold grudges against you, you just come tell me." He flexed his claws and flashed a smile. "That won't be necessary, Tigerbite." Whitefeather waved her tail and unsheathed her own talons. "After all, I can take care of myself." Her father gazed back at her knowingly and retracted his sharp claws. "Yes, Whitefeather," he meowed quietly, his voice full of pride at the sight of his daughter standing there before him. "Yes you can." Category:Warriors Fanfiction Category:Short-Stories